Pickled Wanderlust
by Sergeant Lips
Summary: Yuka and Izumi have decided to move me back to Japan after traveling and living in different countries all my life. It's not that I was overreacting about it..it's just that I was reacting in an extreme manner. TWO separate things, MOM. N/M Rated T
1. Prologue

It's my first Gakuen Alice story. I'm nervous. My writing isn't particularly spectacular but like I said in my CCS story, it never hurts to try and the more you do something the better you get yadayada. ;) I picture this taking a Pride and Prejudice route.

I'm a little embarrassed that the beginning plot is similar to Grass Patch but this story will take a different route.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice.

* * *

"Mikan, we are moving!" My mother announced happily, flip flops skidding on the tiled floor into the kitchen, where I was sitting at the table.

I looked up uninterestedly, to find golden eyes identical to mine alive and sparkling with the gleam of another adventure in our midst. She looked ratty, with soil all over her tank top and jeans like she had been working in her garden.

I ignored her. She talks, I don't feel like caring sometimes.

"Mikan, I said, we are moving." She repeated.

Registering what was said and food still in my mouth (and on my face), I gaped at Yuka who had scooted into a chair next to mine messing up my homework at the same time.

I swallowed and teetered my chair back, tapping my pencil on my dad's antique table, we had procured from India (last year's 3 week vacation).

Now , this would be MAJOR news if my mother and father hadn't suffered from a serious case of wanderlust my entire life. Five years in Turkey, 3 in Bangladesh, 2 in England, 4 in America, 2 in Canada, and 4 months in China and South Korea. Technically, I was born in Japan, that being my first language. I picked up the other languages mildly but mostly I could speak fluent English.

Currently, we were staying in a small house outside of Seoul, South Korea. It was a nice woodsy area with a mild climate that was good for hiking or sitting under a shady tree with a good book. Like my parents, I too, had wanderlust, but mine was limited to the surrounding area and not the surrounding borders.

Needless to say, "Mikan we are moving!" was not a new phrase or surprise in this family. I answered with another bite of my kimchi and continued to eyeball my school work. _tap tap tap_

"That is the very old and expensive blessed table of Ganesh from India that they gave us after finding their town's sacred stones(A favorite among family storytime. They bought it.)! Don't carelessly tap your pencil against it!" Yuka scolded earning me an annoyed look and reminding me what she probably told me about 20 times a day not to do. Usually I would respond with a "Mom, you bought it at Pottery Barn."

I sighed, placing my yellow No. 2 pencil down and watched, glaring a little at her familiar lip-twitch that turned into a giant grin. " Anyway, we, your father and I, have decided to go back to Japan!"

My jaw must have reached the floor.

Except, this time I couldn't believe it. My ears were _deceptively_ telling me that my parents had decided to move back to a more normal state of life instead of Iceland or some island off the coast of America. I _knew_ I hadn't just heard the possibility of normalcy entering my life and the shock of it enveloped me completely.

I choked, coughing uncontrollably on my food, sputtering, "Yukahrmphhmph-ack!" I swallowed with difficulty, feeling my food go down my esophagus in a thick clumps. "Sorry," I joked, still coughing slightly. "Heard you wrong. Did you say Jamaica?"

"Japan, Mikan. Chew your food." Yuka chirped, slapping my back. She reached out for my dishes and dropped them in the sink.

"So I can't tap a pencil on the table but you can drop glass dishes in sinks?"

She turned the faucet on. "Of course! Me mom, you daughter."

I moaned exasperatingly. "But I actually like South Korea and they have awesome fooood."

She tilted her head, and leaned against the counter folding her arms. "I love it here too, but your father has the itch to move back so that you can have a normal life and meet some of your relatives."

"But, Yuka, this is normal to me. We've been moving around since I was a baby." I interrupted, tuning her out with my bratty attitude towards this _happy news._ With a frown I folded my arms indignantly on the table, like a child being told my toys were taken away from me.

"Plus," She continued sweetly, moving towards me to slap my arms away. This hinted that she was about to insult me. "You need friends, sweetie. You shuffle around like a hobo, your always in the house, your father and I miss sex ("Mom that's disgusting. Your both old.") and honestly, your sense of humor is turning into your dad's, though I love him, don't make puns. It will give you wrinkles."

A hobo? I only asked for change once and that was for bus fair because they refused to give me a ride to Mcdonald's. 'You'll get fat!' mother said. 'Walk it off if you want junk food so bad!' father replied. blahblah

Outside of the insults, she was right about me not having friends. I hadn't had a friend since blond haired, blue eyed Jacob when we lived in New York City, New York. I was 12. It did not end well. He pulled the shiny ribbons off the handles of my FIRST brand new bike. I beat him to a pulp. We left America. Excluding that example, it wasn't that I was bad at making friends. I just came to realize that we would pick up and leave as soon as I became used to a place so I stopped trying. "Puns are funny." I retorted curtly, my mother unscathed by my crappy reply, brightened knowingly getting her way.

She moved on, drying the dishes with a towel, "You'll be starting an actual school in the fall. I believe you will be a junior in high school. Honey, I promise you will have so much fun." She blushed in remembrance. "I met your father at school, you know. He was my teacher. Oh! but don't go falling for teachers." She kept prattling on as I went back to tuning her out due to the words _high school._

I ran a hand gingerly threw my light brown hair getting my fingers caught in a tangle, reluctantly submitting, yet again, to the lifestyle of my beloved parents. It was useless arguing. You can't win with two people who, once something was decided, it was final. "When are we leaving?"

"...Also, you're 17 so that means you will be starting a year lower then you should be. Traveling around a lot gave you less time to focus on your studies and-"

"Yuka!"

"Oh right! Sorry!" she answered sheepishly. "Tomorrow! Pack your stuff."

Oh for god sakes. Really? Tomorrow? On the bright side, moving means I don't have to finish my homework.

I rolled my eyes, huffing and puffing from my chest. I was about to grab the mess of papers in front of me, fully intending on destroying them when of course, on cue, "Oh and finish you're homework. Coming honey!" was the last thing she said to me that day while dancing out of the kitchen to my father who was hollering from the den about where the television remote was.

Yuka is just_ precious. _

"Leave home blahblahblah go to school..stupid Mikan,...force you to do stupid things blahblahblah." I mocked her under my breath. I knew I was throwing a tantrum but I didn't care.

"I heard that!" My mother and father shouted in unison from the living room.

Crap.

Screw homework. Standing on my feet, I stormed out of the house forgetting a jacket and my cellphone. I did not under any circumstances want to leave South Korea. This had just become my new home. Breathing in as much early summer Korean air as I could hold into my lungs, my emotions obnoxiously swirled around inside my stomach until I felt like hurling. This was not the white hot dart of excitement puddling within me that was for sure.

I had found my cozy spot beneath the willow tree that I had claimed as mine when we first arrived. I laid down letting the grass tickle my face and stared up into the open creamy purple sky indicating dusk. Secluded and quiet. It was just right.

Later that night, in my bed all I could think about was what felt like the biggest move of my life. My heart immediately sank all the way through my intestines, out of my butt, trailing down my legs, with it's last breath crawling off my bed onto the floor. My mind was a cornucopia of dread and nostalgia for a place I had only been for 6 months of my baby life. I shifted my body to my side, pulling my pink frilly blankets up to my neck, wind from my open window gently caressing my feet. My cool sheets being unable to tame my unkempt mind into the natural rhythm of a calm sleep.

I looked around my room taking in the last memories from it. It consisted of cheesy floral wallpaper in circular patterns near the ceiling (Yuka thought it was pretty) with a desk in the corner and a closet with a broken door. My twin bed was pushed up against the wall adjacent to the hallway. It looked empty with my clothes all packed up in suitcases next to my bed. I had seen this so many times and yet it felt different. It seemed vaguely reminiscent of the barren houses in "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", after he snickered off with all the Who's Christmas treats.

It seemed like hours had passed before a groan of frustration escaped from my lips as I flipped to my other side, slipping my hands beneath my pillow for the cool part.

No longer being able to pay attention to sleep, I got up shuffling in my jammies to the living room, sat on the sofa and drank up the site. Tribal vases, paintings, figures, Fabergé eggs, and endless amount of multicultural treasures from every place we had been. I groaned inwardly, leaning down to scratch the cat behind his ears, who had caught my attention and decided to stretch timidly, rubbing against my warm legs.

"Foot Foot." I cooed at him. He purred and jumped up, curling into a circle on my lap.

Would life in Japan be the same? Would we still be the same? It was disrespectful to call my parents by their first names there. Would I be okay having to socialize outside of my niche? I've been home-schooled all my life. Would people like my pet of turtles? Bebe, Frankie, Cece, Genghis, and Alfred? I could not stop my heart from beating frantically as all these (STUPID) thoughts ran through my head. I knew I was psyching myself out but I couldn't help jumping to ridiculous conclusions about a normal life. Normal was weird to me and weird was completely normal.

I brought my knees up to my chest, ignoring an irritated hiss from Foot Foot and began to wonder if I would miss this place more if I had made strong friendships like Sam and Frodo in Lord of the Rings. Or if I had a boyfriend? Or perhaps I am an angsty teen who will survive life (like billions before me) and be just fine? I flailed my arms against the couch cushion in frustration wanting to scream.

Could I really miss a place where I had what regular people called lonely memories? I liked being alone. I liked that my parents let me do what I wanted and that they trusted me to make the right decisions. Now I would be thrust into a domestic lifestyle. A slave to the ringing of a school bell.

The hot sting of tears pricked at the corners of my heavy eyelids before I finally dozed off.

* * *

Prologue done.

I like writing drama queens.

Chapter 1 up soon! I hope! :D


	2. In the Blink of an Eye

Hi! So here is Chapter 1!

Pickled Wanderlust

Rated T for language and certain situations that aren't for kids under the age of 13.

Disclaimer: Nope.

Chapter 1: In the Blink of an Eye

* * *

Brown and red leaves fluttered off the trees crunching beneath my feet as I prayed to god I wasn't lost or subconsciously wondering off due to my inherited burden.

Fall had finally arrived much to my chagrin. I had silently hoped all summer that I would wake up to cake and my _darling_ parents shouting "JUST KIDDING!" but alas, I sighed sadly, this was not the case.

I had found myself accidentally wandering all around Toyko over the summer. It was definitely not a friendly place as I had anticipated. Asking for directions was like trying to have a conversation with a stubborn mule but luckily I had been able to map out my new favorite place which was a tiny park a few streets away from my new house.

"I need to take a left at this street...I think?" I wondered aloud to nobody, reading the directions Hotaru had written me. Perhaps I should've practiced walking to school instead of finding that sweet park with a SEESAW.

Totally worth it.

Yuka thought it would be a great idea to sign me up for a pen-pal, a service the school provided for new students that I could shadow when the semester started. Her name was Hotaru Imai and for a 17 year old starting the same grade as me, her writing was very stoic and poised, like she had no emotion. Recalling one of her passages "Don't follow me to closely or talk to me, I'm trying to become valedictorian someday. You seem like a burden," I was sure she wasn't quite taken with me.

However, duly noted, dearest mother had been right in signing me up. Hotaru had informed me of the basics of how to get around the school, quickest routes to classes and such as well as how to fit in. I desperately needed guidance. According to my new not-friend, the school knew everybody's business at all times which in turn meant, "Don't do something stupid ("You're screwed Mikan." Hotaru had added, sympathetic to my plight) the whole school will know and they will beat you down for it." Her letters were more of a kick in the teeth than a source of comfort but beggars could not be choosers.

I clumsily fumbled with her letters in my hand, the wind begging to take them places. I pulled my hair into a quick ponytail and continued to fight the wind for my papers.

"Oh my..." I gaped with a mixture of shock and awe at the huge building before me, secretly doing a dance that I hadn't gotten lost.

I had finally reached the school and had never realized, my eyes blinded by the sun as I set first sight on the grand marble building that was to be my new place of education, could be so huge. It was surrounded by a large gated fence made of limestone making the students walking by look like caged animals. It didn't help that passer-byers were eyeballing the inside whispering about how grand the school was, making me more flustered.

I had pictured a quaint building with students and teachers laughing and joking with each other or really, just something other than this. Just by peering inside the gate you could see a large campus with trees and historical statues.

I had never seen anything like it. It wasn't obvious that I looked like I was home-schooled my entire life or that I looked entirely disorganized. No, I'll blend in, I thought coolly, nervously smoothing out the nonexistent wrinkles in my new school uniform.

Yuka had decided to inform me (ten minutes before I left, of course) that Alice Academy was the most prestigious higher education school in the entire country. Only the best of the best could enter this school. "Be happy Mikan."

My parents were so obnoxious. Really? Really?! "Mikan, we've decided to shit all over your life bawkbawkbawk new school bawkbawk stop overreacting bawkbawk leave you all alone good luck bawkbawk love you."

It's not that I was overreacting..it's just that I was reacting in an extreme manner. TWO separate things, MOM.

I groaned loudly, peering around corners in order to see if I could spot this illustrious Hotaru. I stubbornly refused to walk inside without her. She was the only person here I knew and I wasn't going down by myself.

"Come on!" I whined to myself. Where was she? I glanced at my watch. 7:35 am. She should be here by now. Class started at 8 and I was positive she wasn't the late type.

My stomach was a labyrinth of twisting uncomfortable knots as I kept trying to not have a panic attack and look like a crazy person with my face contorting into something similar to a face babies made when farting.

I stopped directly in front of the steel gate still in slight awe trying my damnedest to gather rational thoughts, which at the moment heavily under-weighed the irrational.

"Hey you!"

I gasped, my ears perking at the sudden deep voice. Huh? I looked around not seeing anyone. I hadn't pictured Hotaru with a deep voice...

"Whoa!" I felt the sting of someone bumping my shoulder causing me to stagger slightly and lose grip of my unkempt papers.

"Oh crap!" I reached out to grab them, my hand coming into contact with something soft and..fleshy?

I pulled my hand back immediately, tilting my face upward, and locked gazes with a pair of irritated red orbs.

"Get the hell out of the way." He said harshly, his face barely two inches from mine. I gulped, breathing in his old spice aftershave, the wonderful manly smell hindering my process of thought.

"You have red eyes?"

Ok, I know that wasn't the brightest thing to say but it was just that I had never seen red eyes before except that time my mom had whooping cough and the blood vessels in her eyes had burst.

Irritation turned into a quick flicker of surprise before eyebrows furrowed slightly and his eyes narrowed. "Slow and stupid?" he grunted, emphasizing the word "stupid", at the incredulous look on my face. He was lean and tall, at least a head taller then me, with dark black hair. He had a beautifully feminine face with a strong muscular jaw, like a brooding Angel from Buffy. Even with his unkempt hair and looking like he had just rolled out of bed in his uniform, he was incredibly handsome. But those eyes. I was lost in them.

Typical, average, bundle of hormone, teenaged reaction.

We just stood there, the wind encircling us; me, clearly checking him out, looking stupid and him glaring harder at me which I'm certain was not possible.

He insulted me and all I can think about is how pretty he is.

Forget the eyes. Jerk.

I shook my head, shoving those thoughts out of my mind and narrowed my eyes, readying a most likely unclever response.

"Mikan Sakura?"

I tore my eyes away from him, purposefully gluing my body 'in the way,' still slightly agitated with the David Boreanaz wannabe.

"Mikan Sakura?" The girl repeated, tossing me an I'm-not-going-to-repeat-myself-again look. "The idiot who I've been exchanging letters with for approximately 3 months 4 days and 22 hours?" She was gorgeous with cold purple eyes that matched her icy voice. Tall and skinny, she oozed elegance. She looked clean cut, not a wrinkle on her skirt or a hair out of place. Her black hair was cut modestly into a pixie and framed her milky white face.

Now, I'm not gay but if I was I would try to woo her with tiny cakes.

"OW!" I had been cut off again when a hard book-bag that had to be filled with at least seven thick dictionaries collided with the back of my head. "Shit! That hurt! Why did you-"

Hotaru eyed me with irritation. "You had a stupid awestruck look on your face. I didn't approve." She responded coldly, lightly pulling the strap of her book bag over her shoulder. How did she do that lightly? That thing had to be filled with rocks or something. Shit. "Oh, and welcome to the Academy." She quickly turned and made a motion with her finger for me to follow. I didn't even bother to question this. City life is strange. Pedestrians hadn't even asked

why I had just been abused in public. Was this normal?

I rubbed the back of my head soothingly and noticed that the mysterious boy/assface/David was gone as soon I turned around. I admit I was slightly crestfallen at not being able to punch him in the throat for calling me "slow and stupid." The jerk. But releasing a sigh of relief I hadn't realized I was holding, with how big the school was it was unlikely I would see him again. Hopefully.

"Who was that?" I questioned, stuffing my papers in my backpack and trotting behind Hotaru, who had already started walking away from me towards the school.

Hotaru's pace quickened. "Someone who you should not mess with." She responded, her tone thick with boredom, "and stop walking directly behind me."

My lips made an "o" shape and I turned my head for a quick glance back, touching my shoulder where he and I had collided for a brief moment. Strange. Why shouldn't I mess with him? Or, I mean, not _mess_ with him but at least let me profusely explain to him why I wasn't a complete and total idiot..or..I coul- Forget it. I was already nervous enough I didn't need this, especially now.

"Here is your school schedule and an identity tag." She handed me a small laminated tag with my name printed in cursive along with an Alice Academy crest on the upper left hand corner, attached was threaded string so that I could wear it around my neck and a piece of paper with all of my classes printed neatly in order.

"Also you may want to go to the bathroom and fix yourself up. Something tells me your level of gumption about how this school runs and the image it presents is not on par." Her eyes drew down slowly towards my messy unzipped backpack and my wild hair, courtesy of the wind.

Having lots of practice ignoring my _stupendous _parents' insults, I brushed her's off easily but something told me to heed her words. I bolted to the bathroom, swirling in between students along the way.

"Are you the new girl?" I glanced in the mirror at the pretty emerald haired girl who had suddenly popped up from behind me.

"Yea. Mikan," I replied embarrassed, hurrying my attempt to fix my hair. I'm pretty sure it was attacked by a cat.

How sure?

About 95 percent sure.

She smiled coyly at me. "Sumire." Brushing past me, she turned the faucet on letting the cool water run over her hands. Sumire was watching her every move in the mirror, which struck me as odd.

Silence.

Whoever she was, she seemed slightly intimidating but in an attractive way. Like Angelina Jolie. I think I will like this girl. She wasn't cold and mean like Hotaru but confident and pretty. I immediately wanted to get to know her.

"So do you know a guy with red eyes and acts like he was raised by a family of pit bulls in the wild?" Eloquent.

Her brilliant green eyes flashed, toying with me. She giggled and put a hand to her mouth, slyly. "Perhaps."

"Perhaps?" Was it some sort of secret? Oh my. I like secrets. I feel like we are friends already!

"His name is Natsume." She took blush out of her tiny purse and applied a modest amount gracefully against her cheeks. "That's the only boy I know with red eyes."

Natsume? Isn't that more of a name for girls? I mean, he's pretty like a girl but I picture him having a name like...like _Angel._

"Who's David Boreanaz?"

"Huh?" I asked. "Who's who?"

"You said his name should be David Boreanaz not Natsume." Sumire's eyebrow quirked in question as she ran a finger around the curls of her green tendrils.

Denydenydenydenydeny.

"I did?"

"Ouch!" The stinging pain of someone pulling on my brown pigtail cut our conversation short, as Hotaru had _delicately_ dragged me out of the bathroom, my feet skidding against the floor.

"You were taking too long. You wipe, wash your hands, and leave." Hotaru said stonily, her hand still attached to my hair dragging me towards what I dreaded as being my first ever homeroom.

"I'll have to write that down." I retorted as she unclasped my hair.

"Hotaru, relax."

Thank you, my kind savior.

Sumire giggled, sauntering past us into the classroom, her short skirt making the boys ogle. She laughed cutely, enjoying the attention. "She's the new girl. Let her do stupid stuff so we can have a good laugh. God knows this uptight school needs someone to tickle it's funny bone." She turned to me smiling wider at my seething reaction.

I didn't know if I was more surprised or angry at her blatant unfounded sarcasm.

I take back my unspoken invitation of friendship that was established in the bathroom.

"Listen you-!" Hotaru's cold fingers pressed firmly against my mouth, shushing me and my temper instantly including the rest of the students in the class, who, much to my embarrassment had their full attention on us and not Sumire's skirt.

"You're lack of good grades is laughable enough, Sumire." She shot back in my place, shoving me into an open desk, some of my pens falling out of my backpack and rattling around on the floor.

"I have very good grades." Sumire countered. "And at least, I don't come into school looking homeless."

Hey! My hair looked nice before I went outside! BRAT!

I stood up, opening my mouth to throw an insult at Sumire-Permy only to be silenced again by the glare I would come to be very familiar with from Hotaru.

Were girls really this mean? I was flabbergasted.

"Students! Settle down!" A tall blond man walked in, stopping in front of the chalkboard. "It's a new school year and I know we're all excited to be here to enrich our minds!"

Students groaned.

"You, idiot, sit down and quit embarrassing me." Hotaru whispered from behind me. I blushed, noticing a few kids snickering at me, realizing I was the only one still standing.

Narumi smiled at me, dragging a piece of white chalk against the board, spelling his name out.

"My name is Narumi. I teach English literature and I'm sure most of you had me as sophomores." He continued whimsically, "and I know we have a few new students with us..." He pointed at me with a long dainty finger and another student with pink hair.

"Mikan Sakura and Anna Umenomiya, welcome to the Academy." We stood up in unison, bowing politely, exchanging formal greetings with the class.

I glanced over at the other new girl Anna and tossed her a knowing awkward smile. She blushed cutely, responding with a toothy grin. This secret established classroom friendship had better work out because the last one hadn't.

I groaned in my seat, burying my head in my arms. Math, my least favorite and coincidentally worst subject was now. And of course, I thought sarcastically, the teacher Jinno, seemed to only enjoy picking on me. Already, I had been forced to stand up and answer a question, which to my embarrassment, I did not know the answer.

And to make matters worse HE was in this class. And HE was sitting directly behind me glaring fire and daggers with his stupid "unique" eyes into the back of my head. My brain would be sizzling bacon by the time school ended.

I shivered at the utter loathe radiating from his body aimed entirely in my direction. So he remembered me...

I supposed I deserved it, seeing as I smacked his face on accident and stubbornly refused to get out of his way. I decided that it would be for the best if I apologized to him after class and I could earn another ally in this peculiar school.

"Ms. Sakura, please refrain from staring off into space and answer this question." Jinno muttered impatiently, pointing to the blackboard with a long stick.

"uhh..12?"

"Wrong, Ms. Sakura. Perhaps you would like to join me in detention after school to study? Juniors should know these easy review problems and it seems you are far behind or.." He trailed off, smirking. "...perhaps you're slow?"

The class chuckled on my behalf, Sumire's peels of laughter being slightly louder than the others, however I heard no laugh from behind me. Curious. Natsume hadn't joined in the laughter.

Hotaru would kill me if I released my tempered but this teacher was obviously pointing out my flaws to the entire class and on the first day no less. I knew I was behind in my studies but he was deliberately picking on me for no reason.

"Yes, sir." I replied, quietly.

I do this for you, Hotaru.

"And so 3.14.." Jinno moved on smugly.

Thank god this was the last class till lunch.

As soon as the bell rang , I was the second after Natsume to jump out of my desk, grab my things and head towards the hallway.

"The next class, I will pick partners for you to work on certain take home assignments. Be prepared for a review test over fractions, percentages and decimals!" Jinno yelled strictly, frowning at our weak response.

"Natsume!" I cried, attempting to catch up with him. "Wait!" But before I knew it he was lost in a sea of students and I was standing breathless by myself and-

"Your hair is blocking half the hallway."

I blinked. Oh my god, my freaking frizzy ass hair.

He grinned at my reaction, knowing full well what I was thinking. "Kokoro Yome. You must be Mikan." He offered a hand to me, leaning down, his breath tickling my ear. "You're hair looks fine. I was only kidding."

I blushed awkwardly, accepting his hand and relieved at the act of kindness. "Yes, how did you know?"

He pointed to my name badge. "Also, you clearly look new. N-no offense!" He chirped, quickly at the crestfallen look on my face. I had a feeling it was that obvious.

"Anyway," he changed the subject. "Hotaru sent me. She's in the cafeteria waiting for you."

My stomach growled at the word cafeteria.

He snickered, teasingly, escorting me down the hallway.

"So how were you're first couple of classes?"

I sighed slowly, reliving the recent terrors. "I would rather have shown up naked and danced to Celine Dion's 'My Heart Will Go On" than repeat this day."

"That bad, huh?" Kokoro said in between guffaws.

"You don't want to know." And before I knew I was spilling the beans about Hotaru's coldness, Sumire's deceitful secret bathroom friendship and my brief encounter with Natsume.

"Sumire's not so bad." He whistled happily. "She's up front and sarcastic but she'll grow on you."

I noticed the far off look in his eyes but I refused to believe that someone who insults me on the first impression could possibly be nice. But hey, what the heck, I never had friends before, or for that matter known people with personalities like the ones I was encountering today. Maybe I shouldn't act so EXTREME. See mom? Not overreacting, just another example of the difference between acting extreme and overreacting.

"But Natsume," He continued. "He gives off this enigmatic aura-"

"-and he's rude, a bit of jerk, but smells nice though." I finished.

He ran a hand threw his shaggy golden locks. "Natsume is definitely not someone you should mess with."

That was the second time I had heard that today. "Why?"

He didn't answer, only grabbing a plastic tray and handing it to me. I frowned slightly, hopping in the lunch line.

We chitchatted about Jinno for a minute, mocking him and laughing, placing bowls of food on our trays. I felt in higher spirits. Maybe this day wasn't turning out to be so awful after all. Anna and Kokoro were really nice and I think Hotaru was starting to warm up to me. Just a teensy, barely there, bit. Maybe not. But still...PROGRESS!

It was only my first day. Nothing truly bad could happen, I thought, oblivious to the pair of eyes on me.

"Mikan!" Anna smiled, waving us over to her table, where Hotaru and a blond boy sat. I smiled waving back, balancing my tray on one arm.

Anna looked horrified. "Mikan, watch out!"

"Mikan!" Kokoro yelled, making a grab for my food.

"Huh?" I replied confused.

I was oblivious to Sumire, who had stuck her foot out (she claims it was accidental), tripping me in the process. My face had kissed the floor, the tray I was holding was no where to be found, and all I could focus on were the gasps of shock coming from everyone's mouths.

I was as red as a ripe cherry in summer.

"Are you okay?" A blond haired boy with sympathetic blue eyes grabbed my arm, standing me upright. He put a hand gently on the aching newly formed goose egg on my forehead, soothing it.

"I..uh..ow.." I cringed. "What happened to my food?"

The blond laughed. "You just took a serious fall and you're only concerned about your food?"

"Mikan." Hotaru came up from behind me, glaring at Sumire, who was bent over laughing, holding her sides.

So Sumire was the culprit.

"Kokoro." I drawled out slowly, still trying to register what had just happened. "I really don't think Sumire and I are going to get along."

"I don't exactly...think that's what you should be focusing on right now.." He said quietly, his tone indicating he had chosen his words very carefully.

And that's when I had finally noticed that every student in the cafeteria had become silent, all of their eyes were on me. I gasped nervously sensing that familiar dagger and fire glare from behind me. The same one I had felt in Jinno's class except this one was not only of loath but pure unadulterated murder.

Where had my food gone? My eyes darted everywhere only able to find my tray turned upside down and a carton of milk on it's side leaking all over the floor. Oh please..dear god..please listen to my prayer!

Oh my god.

Oh no. Nonononononononononono.

Closing my eyes for a split second I turned around ever so slowly, fearing what I was about to face. This was bad. This was really bad. This was worse than Jinno's taunts and Sumire's mean girl attitude. I was dead. I should've dug my grave sooner.

The same red eyes I had met earlier this morning were intenesly staring directly into mine. Except, staring wasn't the right word. Hate, loath, murder, glare, dead meat, stab, beat, poison. Pick a word, any word.

Because they all explained what was going to happen to me when he was done.

Natsume flicked a green bean off his nose and onto the table where it rolled pathetically, leaving a trail of juice behind it.

I may or may not have just completely royally fucked myself. _Hard. _And not in the good way. More like in the "I just brought up children, religion and politics on the first date and now he's dashing in between tables to the door and I'm stuck with the check. HE ORDERED EXTRA SHRIMP."

Fuck my life.

* * *

End

Whatdaya think? I have so much planned for this story. I'm really excited!

Constructive criticism is always welcome.

Sergeant Lips


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